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Aurora-class Light Frigate
The Aurora-class Light Frigate was a small vessel class in service with the UNSC and The Royal Allegiance Navy. Role The Aurora-class Light Frigate was conceived as a fast, versatile but reasonably well-armed vessel able to patrol territories without fear of immediate destruction. Small warships normally filled a variety of roles and the Aurora-class was no exception. It could operate on its own in deep space, or support other larger warships. It was capable of a large range of peacekeeping operations including friendly territory patrols, anti-piracy missions and counter-criminal operations. It was also used as a rapid attack unit, able to quickly hit an enemy with small, well-armed vessels and ten flee before any heavy resistance could be mounted. It was quite capable of skirmishing with armed civilian or small military vessels, and could cope with some larger vessels such as frigates in groups of three or four. It was useful in a protective role, preventing hostile starfighters from reaching allied warships and acting as an interdictor. It was also capable of supporting starfighter battles with other single ships in a way that no larger vessel could, even one with a mainly anti-starfighter armament. It acted almost in a close support role in starfighter skirmishes, able to get in close and assist friendly fighters in a manner impossible for larger vessels. With its high speed, maneuverability and acceleration, coupled with its long range and powerful sensor package, the Aurora-class was the ideal choice for operations behind enemy lines. It had a rather small radar cross-section due to its thin frame and angular hull, a quality which was taken a step further in the later Hesperus-class Stealth Frigate. External Layout Internal Layout Armament Weaknesses Shielding Armour Engines and Powerplant The Aurora-class, like most modern starships, used ion thrusters for propulsion. Propellant gas was passed through an alternating electric field, ionising the gas. It was then expelled out of the engines at near the speed of light. The electric field used was massive in terms of power, meaning higher efficiency and less propellant gas needed. The colossal power for the field came from the near-limitless amounts of energy generated by the zero-point reactor. The Aurora-class also possessed numerous anti-grav engines which allowed it to hover in-atmosphere. The frigate was capable of prolonged atmospheric activities, including ranged attack, troop supply, mobile command post and, to a lesser degree, close air support, far more so than its larger counterparts within the Allegiance and UNSC Navies. The powerplant of the Aurora-class Light Frigate, like most other large warships, was zero-point energy. This provided a nearly-limitless source of energy, the only limit being the handling capabilities of the generator itself. The Aurora-class utilised a partially successful miniturised generator, being the smallest ship to be powered by such a source and remaining so for over a century. The drive was fully capable of meeting the craft's energy needs but required an extensive amount of maintanance, the result of a non-perfected design. Every few years or so the Aurora-class' power core needed to be replaced, adding significantly to the craft's running costs and providing an incentive for perfecting the miniture zero-point generator. The problems associated with this early drive led many within the armed forces to see the Aurora-class as unreliable, in spite of its usefulness. This somewhat tarnished its reputation but it remained a capable and proven warship. Complement For transport of personnel or cargo between ships, or for general usage, the Aurora-class was assigned as standard one Pelican Dropship or one Sabre-class Dropship, dependant on whether the vessel was in the service of the UNSC or the Allegiance. It was rarely used in battle but could, if necessary, transport the ship's complement of 16 Marines to another vessel or planetary body for combat. Construction Operational History Variants Ships of the Line *''HMS Aurora'' (FFL-22471) (Class namesake) *''HMS Sacred Wisdom'' *''HMS Clear Skies'' *''HMS Monument'' *''HMS Coldstream'' *''HMS Iladelph'' *''HMS Pegasus'' *''HMS Daring'' *''HMS Thera'' *''HMS Dublin'' *''HMS Normandy'' Behind the Scenes *The image for this article is a depiction by Athena32 of the SSV Normandy from Mass Effect, inspired by SPARTAN-08BLAM!'s Erebus-class Stealth Frigate. Category:Ship Classes of The Royal Allegiance